The Eye-Popping Stat That Proves Egor Demin Could Be a Star for the Brooklyn Nets

Only a handful of tall freshmen have matched Egor Demin’s assist rate and impact—his name now sits with future NBA stars.

Jun 25, 2025; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Egor Demin stands with NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected as the eighth pick by the Brooklyn Nets in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Many believe the Brooklyn Nets reached by taking BYU guard Egor Demin with the eighth-overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. Demin is an elite-level passer, but concerns over his jumpshot have prevented the Nets from receiving praise for taking the risk.

However, Demin isn't your typical "raw" prospect. He's a 6-foot-9 point guard, and the facilitating skills made him one of the most versatile players in the entire class.

Per NBA Cody on X, Demin had the highest assist rate of a freshman 6-foot-8 or taller dating as far back as 2008. The 18-year-old owned a 34.6% rate, a whole 3% more than the runner-up, Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes (31.6%).

Rounding out the top-four outside of Demin and Barnes were former Nets point forward Ben Simmons, and the first selection of the 2025 NBA Draft, Cooper Flagg.

While the Simmons placement may be discouraging given how his professional career has panned out, it's important to remember how dominant he was in his early stages.

Simmons has been an All-Star three times in his career, Barnes made his first All-Star appearance last season and Flagg is widely viewed as the potential next face of the league.

That's great company for Demin to be in, and proves that his placement at pick eight wasn't a reach.

Simmons and Flagg were each No. 1 picks, and Barnes was taken fourth-overall. So, despite the media reaction, could Demin actually have been a great pick in terms of value?

Obviously, the on-court product will be the deciding factor of whether or not Brooklyn made the right decision, but based off the analytics, Demin's odds of hitting are greater than busting. Now, whether or not Simmons is considered a "bust" is left up to opinion, but the first three years of his career were undeniably great.

Demin is still quite raw, and the shooting inefficiency is a very real concern. But, especially with Jordi Fernandez in place as head coach, there will be plenty of time for Demin to work on his game and adjust to the professional level.

Demin is expected to make his Nets debut at the NBA2K26 Summer League starting on July 10.